The Mist Of Hime
by sunchaser374
Summary: <html><head></head>Orihime has a new ability. Will she be able to control it before she makes a mistake she can't take back? But the bigger question is where did she get her new ability from?</html>
1. Chapter 1

The Mist Of Hime

"_Kurosaki-kun," whispered a voice from the mist in front of Ichigo. "I recognize that voice," thought Ichigo but the words reverberated around him like he had shouted them. "What the f…" he thought and again the words boomed around him. "Inoue?" he said experimentally hoping to not hear his "thought voice". Slowly a shadowy figure began to appear in front of him that began to take the shape of a woman. " Kurosaki-kun" the shadow figure whispered "I need you, please help me". "Inoue?" he questioned as he reached to grab the figure but all he caught was mist." Kurosaki-kun, Please" the mist pleaded as the figure slowly dissolved into an indiscernible shape and faded into the background. "Inoue" Ichigo yelled into the mist, looking around franticly to find the source of the voice he'd heard only moments earlier. All around him the mist got thick and heavy like someone with an incredibly strong reiatsu was around. "ICHIGO" the mist screamed._

Ichigo Kurosaki sat bolt up in bed panting like he has just finished a marathon. His name echoed in his head like he has actually heard Inoue scream his name. "It was just a dream," he said to himself "I think". " Onii-chan" Yuzu called "breakfast ". Ichigo swung his legs out of his bed and rested his head in his hands for a moment. 'It seemed so real right down to the moisture in the mist, I must be out of my mind,' thought Ichigo.

"Good morning, Kurosaki-kun," said Orihime from her seat where she was talking to her friends Tatsuki and Chizuru. He grunted a reply and took his seat. Focusing on nothing in particular outside the window he couldn't help but over hear the conversation Orihime and her friends were having. "…it was a strange dream I was floating in a mist yelling at someone but I couldn't hear what I was saying and then this huge shadow appeared in front of me and extended its hand to me it said, 'come with me and you will have everything you could possibly want,' I went to reach for its hand but then I heard someone else call my name and the shadow waivered and disappeared then all of a sudden there was this huge spiritual pressure and the shadow reappeared and charged at me I screamed and then I woke up, weird hu?" Ichigo almost choked on his tongue as he heard almost a perfect description of the dream he had this morning. "Alright class find your seats I have a new student to introduce you to everyone say hello to Seishinouji Ankoku he is a transfer student from the Kildare-Bree School in Northern Ireland." A well groomed young man with hair the color of midnight and eyes to match stood at the front of the class. Bowing to the class to say hello his eyes locked on to Orihime and a small smile spread across his face. "There is a seat right behind Inoue-san" said the teacher pointing to the right side of the classroom. Sitting down in the desk in between Orihime and Ichigo, Ankoku begins to unpack his bag and organize his area.

"Alright see you all tomorrow get some good sleep cause I may pop a quiz on you and I know you want to be prepared, RIGHT?" asks teacher-sensei getting the classes attention. The whole class answers in the affirmative and begins to file out of the classroom.

"You're Inoue Orihime right?" says a voice behind Orihime. Startled Orihime turns around to see Ankoku smiling at her.

" Please forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you" says Ankoku apologetically

"Oh no that's alright I'm kind of a space cadet anyway my fault." Orihime says smiling back at him,"Oh and yea I'm Inoue Orihime pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine" says Ankoku grabbing Orihime's hand, kissing the back of it.

"May I walk you home, princess?" he asked not letting go of her hand.

"Um well I usually walk home with Tatsuki I could ask her if she is alright if you walk home with us" says Orihime, a bit of color showing in her cheeks from the kiss planted on her hand.

"Well I do not want to impose" Ankoku says a bit downhearted.

" I'm sure she won't mind she's a pretty good friend" said Orihime making her way over to Tatsuki.

"Oi are you alright if Seishinouji-kun walks home with us? "asks Orihime as she gets to Tatsuki.

"That's the new kid, right?" Orihime nods in response.

"I don't see why not but Kurosaki-kun asked to walk home with us as well, said something about needing to talk to you."

Looks like we're gonna have a group thought Tatsuki.

Ichigo met them at the front of the school on their way out.

"Hey aren't you the new kid in our class" asked Ichigo of Ankoku

"Yea that's me" answered Ankoku holding out his right hand to shake Ichigo's "Seishinouji Ankoku at you service"

"You transferred from Ireland right" asked Ichigo

"Yea that's right but I was born right here in Japan, my father is Japanese and my mom is Irish funny hu?" Said Ankoku with a grin almost laughing at himself.

Continuing with their conversation Ichigo almost missed the group of guys staring at them.

"Hey sweet hotness" the boys jeered at Orihime and Tatsuki.

Trying to ignore them they just keep on walking but the boys wouldn't have it and came running to intercept them grabbing Orihime's hair to stop her from walking away from them. A scream escaped from Orihime as the boy pulled her to him.

"Oh your hair smells so good" the tallest of the group said as he buried his nose in her hair. Without any warning a fist came flying at him and landed right smack on the jaw forcing him to release Orihime's hair. A strong arm pulled her away from the group and quickly to safety of her own small group of friends.

"That was the wrong thing to do man" the tallest boy said to Ichigo holding his jaw. "I'll just have to take her by force now and that is not what I really wanted to do today."

"Well then you should probably just leave then hu?" said Ichigo hoping to avoid a real fight in front of the girls.

"Not gonna happen I have a score to settle with you now" said the boy

"Get them out of here Ankoku" Ichigo yelled behind him

"No way it's six to one I'm stayin you're gonna need the help" said Ankoku with determination

"Fine but don't get in my way, Tatsuki can you and Orihime get away?"

"Yea we're gonna go to that one place where we all used to go to watch fireworks" said Tatsuki not wanting to give away where they were going.

"Sounds good we'll meet you there soon" said Ichigo as the girls ran towards the river park.

"Do you think they'll be ok" asked Orihime as they got to their destination.

"It's Ichigo you know he can handle himself" said Tatsuki

After a few moments Ankoku and Ichigo come running around the corner looking for Tatsuki and Orihime.

"Are you two ok" pants Ichigo as they reach them.

"Yea we're fine how about you two" answers Tatsuki

"We'll be ok what matters the most is that you two are ok" answers Ankoku before Ichigo can respond.

"Can you make sure Tatsuki gets home alright" Ichigo asks Ankoku

"Yea sure, but what about you and Inoue?"

"We need to go talk to one of our old friends about a problem that just came up" says Ichigo getting a quizzical look from Orihime

"Yea I have no problem with that as long as Inoue is not going to be alone" says Ankoku

"Oh and thanks for the assist back there I would never have thought that guy would have been that fast" says Ichigo over his shoulder as the two groups turn to be on their way.

"No problem" says Ankoku smiling back at him


	2. Chapter 2

"Inoue, may I ask you about the dream you had last night?" asked Ichigo as they head to Urahara's shop

"My dream" questioned Orihime

"Well yeah I kinda overheard you talking about it earlier" admitted Ichigo, rubbing the back of his neck hating to admit he had been listening in on Orihime's conversation. " And I was concerned."

"Oh don't be Kurosaki-kun it was just another one my weird dreams, you know how they can be." Said Orihime cheerfully

"I was only concerned because I had the same sort of dream last night." Said Ichigo seriously

"Sort of the same dream" asked Orihime

"The only difference was that I didn't see the shadowy figure you did and you were asking me for help, but everything else was the same."

"Wow that is weird but I don't know why you'd be concerned" said Orihime

"I'm concerned because of who we know, I wonder if someone is trying to contact us or warn us about something."

"Oh, I never thought of that, but now that you brought that up I don't think it's either" said Orihime thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" asked Ichigo

"Well it didn't feel like a warning or a cry for help it felt more like….. like a…. an invitation" said Orihime.

"An invitation?" Inoue is there more to this dream that you didn't tell Tatsuki and Churizu? Asked Ichigo

"Well not really but the shadowy figure did say more to me than what I told them" said Orihime looking at her feet.

"Like what" asked Ichigo burning a hole into her head with his glare.

"He said to come with him to be his wife and I would have everything I could ever want , the dream felt all inviting and comfortable in the beginning but then it turned dark and scary. It was so real. I was really scared when I woke up till figured out that I was still in my own bed" admitted Orihime.

To Ichigo's surprise he found himself imagining Orihime sitting up in bed trying to orient herself to where she was, like he was remembering it for her.

"Is there anything else you can remember about the dream" asked Ichigo

"No not really the biggest part of the dream to me was the feeling of it, you know happy and content one minute and scared and running for my life the next , I was just gonna chalk it up to a normal strange dream for me" said Orihime

"Yea ok but we should keep our eyes open in case anything strange happens. I'm gonna go talk to Urahara-san and get his take on this, ok?" asked Ichigo

"Yea sure but can you not go into much detail please , I'd rather keep the wife thing to myself."

"Well at this point I'd have to agree with Inoue, we don't have enough information right now to assume this is anything other than a coincidence, for now. Though I would like to speak to Orihime, where is she anyway didn't she walk in with you" said Urahara.

"She's in talking toTessai" said Ichigo

"Ichigo, I have to ask this and you can tell me it none of my business and I'll have all the information I need, but have you and Orihime been ….. intimate?"

The color rose in Ichigo's face "Why the fuck do you need to know that?" he sputtered

"Well it's just that I think I may know what is going on but I need to eliminate a few possibilities first." Explained Urahara

"And that was a possibility? You've got to be kidding me! Why the fuck would that even be a possibility?" spit out Ichigo as he got even redder thinking about what Urahara suggested.

"Orihime's reiatsu is all over you like you've been intimate, there are only a few reasons why that would be possible" said Urahara.

"What would be possible" asked Orihime as she walked into the room. "Ichigo are you all right, you don't look well?"

"I'm fine Inoue," responded shooting Urahara a "say anything and you're dead" look.

"My, my Inoue there is defiantly something new about you, but I have to tell you Ichigo is lying there is something wrong with him," said Urahara standing up and walking over to where Orihime's standing, leaning over to whisper into her ear. The emotions of worry, concern, and sadness fill the room. Renji runs into the room ready to do battle with whatever was causing the concern. "Are you alright, Ichigo?

"I'M FINE, what in the fuck did you do, Urahara?" asks Ichigo the anger rising the volume of his voice.

"I didn't do anything, Ichigo" said Urahara innocently.

"Kurosaki-kun," said Orihime in a small voice trying not to cry," Why didn't you tell me?"

"No Inoue, I'm fine really," said Ichigo trying to reassure her.

"Ok, ok, ok enough already I can't take anymore" said Urahara, a tear streaming down his face "I lied Orihime, Ichigo is fine.

"You lied, but why would you do that" asked Orihime the oppressiveness of the feelings in the room lifting slowly.

"I had to test a theory and I was right. Inoue you seem to have the ability to project you feelings onto other people, which is probably why you and Ichigo had the same dream last night, you were dreaming about Ichigo and reached out to him in your sleep."

"But why would I all of a sudden have this new ability?" asked Orihime a bit a redness showing in her cheeks from having to admit she was dreaming about Ichigo.

"I don't know" admitted Urahara" It could be one of many reasons but it also means you are gonna need practice to use it and suppress it. You can't go around forcing your feeling on people like you did just a minute ago. So what I need you to do is come by after school till you've got a lid on it and soon it'll be old hat!"

She looks so optimistic thought Ichigo looking at Orihime with her I can do look of determination on her face, but I guess that is just like her. Ichigo smiled at her, pride beaming from his face.

"Alright I'll see you tomorrow Inoue. Ichigo do you mind sticking around for a minute I have something to show you" asked Urahara walking into the next room

"Uh yea Inoue do you mind waiting for a minute, I'll walk you home."

"Sure no problem" answered Orihime

Following Kisuke into the next room Ichigo wonders what he could want now still feeling some of the anger from earlier.

"Alright Mr. Hat-N-Clogs what do you want to show me"

"Well nothing really I just wanted to ask you to come by after school in like three days, that'll probably be enough time to get Inoue on the right path" said Urahara almost to himself "Is that alright"

"Three days? For what?" asked Ichigo

"To help Orihime with her new abilities, you just can't tell her it has to be a surprise or it won't work"

"Should I ask what you are gonna do or do I not want to know"

"Well you can't know and you probably don't want to" said Kisuke nonchalantly

"Um alright" said Ichigo skeptically, turning to leave the shop

"Ready Inoue"

"Yep" said Orihime standing in the doorway looking up at the stars, "It's a beautiful night"

Ichigo looked up at the stars and found himself agreeing with her, feeling rather calm and relaxed. 'Is this feeling coming from her' thought Ichigo not wanting to ask, deciding to allow it to envelop him instead. They walked in silence allowing the peace of the night to waft around them. Soon they arrived at Orihime's apartment, they stood outside not wanting to break the silence.

"Thank you for walking me home Ichigo" said Orihime feeling like a criminal stealing away the peace of the night, walking over to lean against the railing of her porch so her back faced him. Ichigo was surprised to hear Orihime use his given name so intimately but he was not displeased by it and rather enjoyed the sound of it.

"You're welcome Orihime" said Ichigo returning the use of her given name. 'God she is so beautiful especially in this moonlight' thought Ichigo wanting to pull her into his arms just to feel her presence within them.

"Ichigo" said Orihime weakly "I was so worried when Urahara-sensei told me you were dying and I know he was lying but I can't get the thought of it out of my head."

"I'm so sorry, that was a dirty trick he played on you but I'm not dying promi…." Ichigo broke off surprised by Orihime flying into hug him fiercely and began to quietly sob into his chest. The surprise wore off quickly as Ichigo realized a lot had happened to her today and needed the comfort, he wrapped his arms around her and just let her be for a moment. What seemed like an eternity to Ichigo, Orihime looked up at him tear streaks still evident on her cheeks. It wrenched at his heart to see her so in need of someone. Lost in the moment and within Orihime's arms, Ichigo didn't realize what he was doing until he was already doing it. He leaned down and gently pressed a kiss to Orihime's lips. A spark of electricity seemed to come from her lips and shoot all through him waking every nerve ending in his body. When she returned the kiss his heart rose and his head kicked in.

'What the fuck am I doing' Ichigo asked himself quickly pulling away from Orihime, startling her.

"I'm so sorry, Inoue-kun" Ichigo spit out "I didn't mean to take advantage like that" his face going red with embarrassment. The air all around him got oppressive with so many emotions he couldn't point a finger at which one he was feeling.

"It's alright," said Orihime unable to look him in the eye "it was probably my fault, I know I have no control over my new abilities yet. You should get home, you don't want your family to worry." Stepping around Ichigo to get to her door, she accidently brushed his hand with hers sending another jolt of electricity through him that woke up even more of his body.

"Good night Kurosaki-kun, thank you for walking me home," said Orihime evenly as she opened her door and stepped into her apartment, closing the door behind her not giving Ichigo a chance to say a word.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3. I'm glad everyone's liked it so far I'm already working on chapter 4 and it should be up soon. Thanks so much for giving my story a chance**

"Baka," cursed Ichigo standing outside his home unsure of how he got there, "Baka, baka, baka." She must think I'm some kind of pervert who takes advantage in moments of weakness, thought Ichigo pounding his fist into the wall. "Oww" said Ichigo out loud realizing how hard he hit the wall when he noticed a semi-large crack running down the middle of some of the bricks. Deciding against further abuse to himself, feeling the throbbing in his hand Ichigo heads inside to his combative father and cheery sisters, unwilling to fight with his father and not really in the mood to eat he makes his way up to his room. Pausing at the door to his room to take a deep breath and ready himself to face Rukia, he enters the bedroom to find it empty. Instead he finds a note on his desk,

"Ichigo,

got a call from Renji

he wants to talk

be back later

Rukia"

Ichigo exhales a sigh of relief, Rukia is one of his best friends but he really didn't want to deal with her or anyone for that matter. Plopping face down on to his bed he heard a muffled scream from under his pillow. Reaching under his pillow he grabbed Kon by his leg and pulled him out from under his pillow and threw him across his room without even looking up. Hitting the wall by the door Kon lets out a dazed moan of pain but he recovers quickly.

"WHAT IN THE HELL?" yells Kon quickly scrambling back on to the bed planting a foot into the back of Ichigos' head.

"Go away and leave me alone, Kon" mumbled Ichigo not pulling his face out of pillow.

"What is the matter with you, fathead"

"Fathead? I swear to God if you don't leave me alone I will personally hand you over to Yuzu and request she make a dress for you to go to prom in, GOT IT!"

"Ok Ichigo geez you're touchy tonight" said Kon shrinking away from Ichigo "But I thought you might want to know Orihime called while you were out"

"What?" said Ichigo quickly pulling himself into a sitting position in the middle of his bed.

"I don't know what she said or wanted, I only know she called" said Kon in anticipation of Ichigos' next question, "Karin answered the call I don't know anything else!"

Feeling elated that she called but dread about what she said Ichigo quickly walked down the stairs (completely ignoring Kon) to find Karin to see what Orihime called about. Finding Karin sitting at the table doing her homework, he tries to calmly walk up to her not succeeding very well.

"Oi Karin, did anyone call for me today?"

"Uh yeah Inoue-chan called "

"Well did she say anything?"

"Yea she said you left your book bag oh her porch and that she will give to Tatsuki to give to you in the morning."

"She'll give it to Tatsuki? Why is she going to do that?"

"She said she wasn't going to be at school for the next several days"

"WHAT? Did she say why?"

"Do I look like your damn personal secretary? Seriously Ichigo if you want to know why she called don't you think you should call her yourself? Why is it so damn important anyway?" Said Karin the annoyance growing in her voice.

"It's none of your business." Growled Ichigo

"Oh Ichigo please don't tell me you didn't do anything to her" said Karin catching the tone of his voice that said "I'm guilty"

"Leave it alone Karin it's between Inoue and me, so just drop it!"

"You'd better call her and apologize, jeez Ichigo you can be such an idiot" said Karin completely ignoring Ichigo's warning to leave it alone.

"Karin, leave it" warned Ichigo as he turned to leave the room.

"Hey where are you going?"

"To find the phone" said Ichigo ignoring any of Karin's further questions.

"Hi this Inoue Orihime's answering machine if you are hearing this message it means I am either not here or I have been kidnapped by killer alien robots and made their queen so leave a message BEEEEEEEPP." Ichigo always got a kick out of the messages Orihime would leave oh her machine so he couldn't help but smile at her newest one, but was a bit disappointed when she didn't pick up the phone.

"Hey Inoue this is Ichigo um Karin told me you called and I just wanted to make sure you are ok. Please call me I'd really like to talk to you. Please." Doing his best to gently hang up the phone he wonders if she really isn't at home or if she is screening her phone calls.

"….Please call me I'd really like to talk to you, Please" said the answering machine in Ichigo's voice.

'Oh God what have I done' thought Orihime noting the tone of caring in his voice 'It's so not fair of me, I want him to like me because of me not because I pushed my feelings on him', remembering the kiss from earlier and the subsequent rejection as he came to his senses. And now this, she felt so guilty, how she was ever going to make it up to him much less how was he ever going to forgive her.

"I've to get this under control, now!" said Orihime out loud making up her mind to get her training underway sooner rather than later. Having already called Tatsuki and briefly explained some things to her, she was going to go to Urahara's shop first thing in the morning but Ichigo still having that amount of caring in his voice changes things. Walking into her bedroom to pack a few necessary items and to change into some more comfortable clothing, she grabs a notebook so she can write Tatsuki a note. Leaving the note and Ichigo's bag on her table, Orihime quickly leaves her apartment and heads to Urahara's shop.

Not sure of what to expect Ichigo quietly makes his way to his desk to find his bag already there with a cross looking Tatsuki sitting in the seat in front of his. Standing up so she can get closer to Ichigo she grabs a handful of his shirt and angrily whispers to him "What the fuck happened last night and why the fuck did Orihime call me crying asking if I could bring your bag to you cause she wouldn't be here?"

"What did she tell you?" asked Ichigo unsure of how much Tatsuki knew.

"Just a brief explanation that she had a new ability and she needed to get it under control and that because of that new ability she made a mistake and she refuses to make that mistake again" said Tatsuki quickly running all of her sentences together.

'Mistake? Ouch that hurt, it was mistake?' thought Ichigo to himself feeling a little heartbroken.

"What happened?" said Tatsuki repeating herself.

"I kissed her," said Ichigo simply remembering the last time he left her out of the loop and she almost punched him out the window. "I took advantage of a bad situation." Tatsuki could just stare at him unbelieving, that doesn't sound like him.

"You …took …..advantage?"

Sitting cross-legged trying to center and ground herself like Kisuke had showed her, she found it harder than she thought it would be. Instead of clearing her mind she kept on focusing on the events of the past few hours, the news of her new ability, the kiss, the phone call, and finally her conversation with Urahara.

"Are you sure you want to start now?" asked a groggy Kisuke.

"Definitely," said Orihime keeping her eyes locked on his making him know she was serious.

"Alright if you're sure come on in" said Kisuke stepping aside to allow her passage into his shop. "How about we start by you telling me exactly what happened tonight."

"Exactly?"

"Exactly!"

"You may want to find a seat, this may take a minute," said Orihime as she started in on her story, giving him the details and her feelings of the events that took place that night. "It was so unfair of me, I don't know how I'll ever make it up to him."

"Let me let you in on a secret Inoue. Whereas your new ability is strong it does have its limitations. Like you will be unable to make someone feel something they already feel. For example if someone is already feeling anger or sadness projecting those feelings on them will not do anything to them or make them change their action in any way. You understand what I mean?" asked Kisuke

Slowly nodding her head Orihime answers with "I think so."

Trying to explain it a little further Kisuke tries to get a little more complex, "Well see if you understand it this way, love being one of the most complicated of emotions is also one of the simplest, for example you either love someone or you don't there is no I kinda love something. So if a person loves you and you love them projecting your feeling of love on to them isn't going to change the way they feel for you because they already feel it. You would be unable to affect them in anyway when it comes to that emotion."

"I get it now" said Orihime explaining the conversation back to him getting the base of the conversation but not the deeper meaning Kisuke meant to convey. Sighing Kisuke gave up hoping it would hit her later.

"Thankfully I made the preparations to the training room earlier so we can start now if you'd like."

"Alright" said Orihime, following Kisuke down to the underground training area.

Trying to focus on the instructions Kisuke gave her Orihime said them out loud in an attempt to help her focus. "Ok Orihime empty your mind and think of the roots beneath a tree think of how they give nutrients and keep it firmly in the ground, without the proper roots a gentle wind could blow it over," repeating what Kisuke had said almost verbatim. "Project all of my feelings into the ground below me as if they are the root and I am the tree." Closing her eyes and emptying her mind she started to "push" all of her emotions into the ground beneath her, trying again and again with no results.

Frustration set in as she couldn't feel that connection Kisuke said she would feel when she took "root" in the earth below her. Deciding to try something a little different knowing that being forceful was not like her she decided instead to allow the flow of her feelings to seep into the earth like water soaking in to a thirsty desert. Suddenly there was a snap as her emotional roots took hold. Quickly standing up and giddily waving Kisuke over yelling "I did it, I did it" the air around her started to wave. She noticed Kisuke flash step and grab her to prevent her from face planting into the dirt in front of her.

"You did well, Inoue" said Kisuke as she completely blacked out. Picking her up and taking her over to her pallet so she can get some well-deserved sleep he wonders if she knew she had been working on step one for almost 14 hours.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry folks I know this chapter is a little late but I have a good reason (special training up next) it's gonna be a bumpy road I fear. Just a bit of sap in this one to give you fair warning. **

Chapter 4

Orihime progressed faster in her training, learning the next three steps in about the same time it took to learn the first one. Taking the next two days to hone her skills to point where she didn't need to concentrate to ground herself, she just did it automatically. She also became adept at shielding her feelings to keep them from escaping and becoming dangerous to others. There were no more incidents or issues, although she did notice Ichigo stop by about a day into her training but since she never saw him she guessed Kisuke shooed him away. She was happy that she had gotten her ability under control and that Kisuke thought she was doing well enough to go home later today and resume her "normal" life. 

"Alright Urahara what do you need me to do?" asked Ichigo as he walked into Urahara's shop.

"Did you bring him?"

"Of course I did" said Ichigo unpacking Kon from his bag hearing him start to complain but ignoring him, "What do you need him for anyway?"

"Let's sit have some tea first and I'll explain what I need you two to do" said Kisuke pouring Ichigo some tea. "It's not unlike any other _game_ we've played. Kon is here because I need you in shinigami form but I also need your body there and that is where Kon comes in."

"So what will we be doing" asked Ichigo grabbing for Kon so he can pull the soul candy out of the stuffed lion.

"Right now I am shielding your spiritual pressure to keep you a secret from Inoue but the moment we go down into the training area I will no longer be able to do to your proximity. I'm going to tell her you came by to train due to the lack of hollows lately if she asks which won't be too far from the truth. I will give you a couple of minutes to speak with her I know you have been chompin at the bit to do so. Clearing the air with her would be a good idea seeing all that has gone on in the past couple of days."

Inwardly flinching Ichigo downed the last of his tea '_God does everyone know_' thought Ichigo thinking back to earlier when he had to defend Orihime's honor against some perverts who had heard about the kiss they shared. Although the knowledge of the kiss going around the school was completely his fault remembering the conversation with Tatsuki saying he kissed her out loud in the middle of class he must be a complete idiot, of course people were going to overhear things like that. '_I'm gonna have to apologize to Inoue for that too_.' Finally fishing out the soul candy Ichigo swallowed it and with a distorted pop Kon was left sitting on the floor in Ichigo's body while Ichigo is pushed out.

"Let's get this game started" said Ichigo psyching himself up, feeling like he was going to war…..again. 

While the three of them filed down into the training room, Orihime was cleaning up the little corner of the training ground she had called her own for the past couple of days.

"Ichigo" she said out loud as she caught sight of him walking over to her. "Oh God I'm not sure I'm ready for this." Keeping a close eye on Ichigo as he walked over to her unsure even if she wanted to look away she could. 'Focus, Focus, Focus' said Orihime scolding herself as she felt a little slip of her emotions, quickly drawing it back in.' _If I can keep myself under control then I'm on my way to making things up to Ichigo!'_

Ichigo took in the sight of Orihime looking her over to make sure she looked alright and in good health. In Ichigo's opinion she looked better than she had the last time he saw her knowing she must have been working her butt off. He felt no extra emotions that he didn't feel when he entered Urahara's shop so Orihime must have done what she came here to do. Coming to a stop just a few feet in from of her Ichigo was suddenly at a loss for words. He knew what he wanted and needed to say, his brain just wouldn't form the words. _DAMNIT say something_, Ichigo yelled at himself and all but blurted out "I'm sorry, Inoue"

"Sorry? What do you need to be sorry for" asked Orihime a bit of confusion lacing it way into her words.

"I took advantage of you and that is unforgivable, I'm sorry" said Ichigo bowing to her.

Orihime hands flew to cover her mouth trying to stifle the relieved giggle that was attempting to escape.

'_Is she laughing at me_' thought Ichigo as he felt his anger rising.

"No" said Orihime taking the final steps to close the gap between them placing her hands on the sides of his face and bringing him up to look her in the eyes, knowing she just answered his silent question, "I'm relieved, I was sure you would hate me for what I did to you."

"What you did? Hate you? I could never…" said Ichigo trying to force his brain to comprehend the words she just said placing his hands over hers and removing them from his face to hold her hands in his. "Listen Orihime I kissed you because I wanted to I've been wanting to since before you got your new abilities it wasn't anything you did." _Did I just say that out loud? _ "I've had feelings for you for some time now" _oh God I can't stop_ "I just never had any hope you would ever feel the same but I wanted you to know" _what is wrong with me? _

"Ichigo I …." said Orihime, crystalline tears forming at the corner of her beautiful eyes "I …I umm…."

"No please don't …. I can't ….. " said Ichigo sure she was going to reject him.

"Love you"

_Love you…. _the words echoed through his head he expected her to say anything - everything – but that.

"You….laa..?"

"I love you,Tá grá agam duit, I love you, how many times do you want me to repeat it cause I will repeat it til the end of time" said Orihime with happy tears streaming down her face. Pulling her into him Ichigo tenderly kisses her with all of the joy he felt. Passion and happiness wrap around the pair blocking out the world, if only for a minute.

Kisuke looked at the intertwined couple with astonishment,_ Well that worked better than I thought it would_.

"Hey Kon, you want to get some revenge on Ichigo?" When Kon looked at him with interest Kisuke continued. "I need you to distract him at certain times so I can get a bit of my edge on him. So here's the plan I need to cut him about five times..." said Kisuke leaning closer to Kon to make sure no one could overhear him. 

"Oi over there are we going to get on with this training or are we just here for tea?" said Kisuke trying to sound a bit peeved.

With a low growl Ichigo regretfully withdraws from Orihime's embrace and lovingly smiles at her, "Wait for me?" he whispers to her. She nods her head in response and watches Ichigo walk over to Kisuke.

"Alright Mr. Hat-N-Clogs let's get on with this" said Ichigo with a deep scowl on his face.

"You know the rules right? Fight with everything you've got or I will kill you" said Kisuke with no hint of anything but seriousness. Without hesitation they were off leaving behind the distinctive ring of their two zanpakutos clash in their wake. Even though Orihime could follow them it was difficult, she likened it to watching a ceiling fan spin. You can do it if you concentrate and if you concentrate hard enough you could even follow a single blade but it would give you a headache after a while.

The constant ringing clash of Benehime and Zangetsu went on for what seemed like hours until the dueling pair split apart, panting. In that second Kon was on Ichigo catching him on the shoulder with a high kick and forcing him to block and pay attention to Kon for a moment, SLICE, Kisuke caught Ichigo on his arm.

"ONE" said Kisuke out loud.

Ichigo cringed at the sudden spring of blood on his arm as he turned his attention back to Kisuke. _Maybe I am a bit rusty,_ thought Ichigo astonished Kisuke was able to cut him so easily.

Cuts two and three went about the same with Kon being the distraction and Kisuke coming in the moment of distraction. When Kisuke noticed Kon wasn't finding his way into the fight at his cues Kisuke quickly scanned the area to find Kon slumped against an out cropping of rock._ Damn I thought it would take longer than this I'm gonna have to hurry,_ he thought. Noticing Kon slumped Ichigo yells at Kisuke, "What did you do to my body?"

"I did not_ do_ anything to your body" said Kisuke thinking,_ now the Canterella poison is a different story it defiantly did what it was supposed to do to your body_.

Catching Ichigo off guard for the moment he took a quick glance at his body Kisuke scored the fourth cut to Ichigo.

"FOUR"

"Are you feeling a bit off?" asked Kisuke when he noticed Ichigo slowing and wobbling a bit making sure Orihime was within hearing distance. "The poison should start to be taking full effect on my next cut."

Feeling emotion slowly leak into the area Kisuke quickly glances at Orihime giving her a silent warning and instantly the emotions disappeared. Catching the exchange Ichigo glances between the two which gives Kisuke the opening he needed to give the final cut.

"FIVE"

"I should tell you I've been experimenting with a new poison I read about and in these experiments I found I can affect the spirit and the body with the poison and that is why Kon is over there slumped against a rock. The cuts I have been giving you are laced with poison as well, you see I had to give your body the poison as well as your spirit." Said Kisuke explaining

"The tea" said Ichigo starting to figure things out.

"Exactly, there is a side effect to the poison that was a bit unexpected when I first tested it that worked in mine and your favor though."

"And what was that?" questioned Ichigo cynically, starting to slump and lose his balance.

"It has a truth serum quality to it and that is how I knew it was working, now if I cut you a sixth time you will die of overdose or was that at the fifth cut I can't quite remember" said Kisuke raising his sword as Ichigo collapses to the ground in front of Kisuke.

_I can't feel his spirit energy oh God…_

"NOOOO! Santen Kesshun" screamed Orihime placing a shield between Kisuke and Ichigo. "Koten Zanshun." Tsubaki flies out to knock Kisuke's zanpakuto away and comes to rest on Kisuke's shoulder placing a sharp wing against his neck in warning. _I can save him_, thought Orihime running over to Ichigo.

"It won't help" said Kisuke tempting fate

"I have to try" said Orihime bluntly flaring controlled anger at him

"It won't help because he's not dead not even close."

"What do you mean? I can't feel his spirit energy or a pulse and you want to tell me he's not dead?" said Orihime unbelievingly as Tsubaki pulls back from Kisuke's neck but remains on his shoulder.

"The poison I gave him just puts him into a state of suspended animation." said Kisuke trying to explain. "Ever heard of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet? I got the idea from that story. It is theorized that the poison that Juliet used was called Canterella. So I got a sample of it and experiment with it and found it can be used on both the spirit and body if I tweaked a little bit. So I promise you he will be fine, he'll be out for about seven hours but he'll be fine."

Feeling that Kisuke was telling the truth Orihime withdraws her shield and Tsubaki back into her hair pins. Sitting down beside Ichigo she places a hand on his chest where his heart is wishing to feel the pound of his heartbeat. Exhaling the breath he was holding, Kisuke relaxes as he realizes that Orihime successfully controlled her emotions as well as used them against him when she thought Ichigo was in danger._ Incredible she took my training and pushed it far beyond what I was able to teach her, was that knowledgeable use or was she acting on instinct I wonder._

"Come on we can go get something to eat while he's recovering from the Canterella" said Kisuke not wanting to say poison again.

"It's fine you can go but I'm staying" said Orihime not looking up at him.

"There's not much you can do here you might as well get some fresh air and a bite."

"No I'm staying" said Orihime looking up at Kisuke the anger in her eyes very apparent.

"Ok fine" said Kisuke shrugging as he started to walk away, looking over his shoulder. "By the way you did excellently.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello all of my lovely readers I debated about wither or not to add this as an author's note or not and in the concern that you all may not know Irish Gaelic I decided to translate the first paragraph of this chapter for ya all. Ugh! I'm giving away the story in this chapter hopefully there will still be some suspense darn it all.

Chapter 5

"Athair" (Father)

"Has she done it?"

"Yes she is successful"

"You choose well, mo mhac" (you choose well, my son)

"Go raibh maith agat, athair" (thank you, father)

"Go prepare yourself for the next phase of her transformation."

"Tá athair." (Yes father)

* * *

><p>The first thing that went through Ichigo's mind as he was waking up was how comfortable he was, the second thing was '<em>What's with this weight on my chest?<em>' Making a mental assessment of his body before he opened his eyes he figured the weight was attached to what ever his left arm was holding on to so tightly. Slowly opening his eyes he looked down to see a long flow of auburn hair streaming along his chest. _Orihime,_ he thought smiling in spite of himself. Waking up further he could hear her deep rhythmic breathing that told him she was asleep. _I wonder how long she been here, _he wondered. Looking around to find out where they were Ichigo caught sight of his surroundings. _Hu so we are still in Urahara's training room._ Deciding what to do he figured he needed to first go find his body noticing he could not see it anywhere around him, second he needed to give Urahara the beat down he'd been asking for, third he wanted to find out how long he'd been out. He did not want to wake Orihime she looked so peaceful but to be able to do the things he needed to do he needed to get up. Trying to shift slowly, Ichigo almost managed to get out from under her but at the last moment his shift turned in a slip and in the process he startled her awake.

"Ichigo?" said Orihime groggily pushing herself up into a sitting position

"Sorry to wake you I didn't mean to" said Ichigo softly, reclining himself up on his elbows

"That's ok I really didn't mean to fall asleep in the first place" said Orihime starting to fully wake, realizing she was using his chest as pillow. "Oh my I'm so sorry Ichigo I didn't mean to …I mean I didn't realize I was….. I just wanted to hear your heart beat I'm sorry" she said gesturing with her hands to show she meant using him as a pillow.

"It's ok I was comfortable" he said quietly, smiling at her "Hey you mind if I as you a question that's been on my mind before I forget?" asked Ichigo changing the subject.

"Yea, sure"

"What does thaw graw ogum ditch mean?" Ichigo asked trying his best to imitate the words she spoke to him earlier.

"You mean 'Tá grá agam duit'?" she asked feeling the strange words in her mind and realizing she knew exactly what they meant without ever studying the language they were from, "It means 'I love you" in Irish Gaelic, why?"

"You spoke them to me earlier and it struck me as odd."

"I did? I don't remember" said Orihime trying to think of when she would have learned the Gaelic language realizing she knew many, way too many, more words.

"Yea it was before Urahara and I fought" said Ichigo trying to help her remember.

"Hu, I must have gotten them from somewhere, maybe I'll figure it out later" said Orihime thoughtfully "Mind if I ask you one?"

"Uh sure"

"Where do we go from here, I mean what are we? Because I don't want to assume" asked Orihime fumbling over her question.

"Well I was going to leave that up to you but I wouldn't mind being able to call you mine" said Ichigo realizing his admission was not something he could or wanted to take back "So what I guess I'm saying is will you go out with me, will you be my girlfriend?"

* * *

><p>It was a wonderful spring day so Orihime decided to take advantage of the cool spring sunshine and go for a picnic in the park. Finding a perfect spot under a tree near the river she set up a blanket and sat down, resting against the tree she closed her eyes and reveled in the warmth of the sun. She was enjoying everything about the day like the sound of the breeze though the grass, the sound of the children laughing on the playground, and the sound of the water lapping on the bank of the river. Paying attention to all of the sounds around her she failed to notice the dark clouds forming on the horizon. Before long she felt a cold wind blow all around her that caught her attention. Opening her eyes she noticed the ominous clouds in the distance, she gasped at the completely other-worldly feeling she got from them. They seemed to speed towards her, as they got closer she noticed they brought a shadowy fog with them as well. Thinking that it was time to get moving to get inside she quickly stood to start packing up her picnic but found her body would not obey her past standing. The more she tried to move the more she found she couldn't. Looking around to see if she could find anyone to help her she saw that there was no one around, although moments ago the park was full of people. She quickly realized it was eerily empty as she neither heard nor saw any people, birds or any other small animals the park was usually full of. She couldn't even hear the water lapping at the bank of the river as if the water had frozen. The wind once again blew against her sending shivers down her spine and completely sapping her energy. The clouds rolled in closer twisting and turning like a rolling barrel gobbling up the space between them and Orihime at an overwhelming pace. The closer they got the colder and more numb her body became. She quickly became exceeding tired and the feeling grew worse the closer the clouds came, she sank to her knees as her legs became unable to support her. The clouds swarmed in circling and surrounding her darting through her hair and dancing upon her skin like unseen mist fairies. Orihime fought against gravity in the attempt to stay upright but was quickly losing the battle and decided to use the tree behind her for support. A figure began to form from the center of the clouds, a hooded and cloaked form of a man. The man appeared to be carried by the clouds as he came closer. He stalked towards her like he was a predator hunting its prey. The clouds danced and wisped through his cloak making him look ethereal. He came to a stop just a few inches in from of her knees.<p>

"Greetings my beautiful princess," said the figure in front of her, the words reverberating on the clouds causing ripples of sounds that reflected back on him making his cloak ripple and billow giving Orihime glimpses of skin when the fabric would shift. "I've been waiting for you for a very long time and you have finally come. Soon you will join me in my familial home but a few more preparations must be made."

Questions coursed through Orihime's head '_Who is this? Why will I be going with him? What preparations?' _Kneeling down to face Orihime at eye level, gazing at her with eyes that held a high level of fierceness but at the same time an overwhelming amount of caring and gentleness, "If you seriously ask yourself those questions you will find you already know the answers."

Feeling the truth I his words she couldn't help but feel panic start to rise within her when the answers to her questions started to surface in her consciousness.

"I'm …I'm…never…ever…going…to be your…wife" struggled Orihime willing herself to stand using the trunk of the tree to pull herself up leaving her hands on the trunk of the tree to keep herself upright.

"That is where you are wrong my lady for you have no choice," said the cloaked man as he stood, the movement causing his cloak to shift and expose some more skin and let Orihime notice that the man was barefoot._ 'That voice, I know that voice' _thought Orihime.

"No choice? There is always a choice" retorted Orihime "I refuse to accept that I have no choice in my own future."

"Well I guess your logic is correct but I don't think you know the consequence of that decision, it will mean your death" said the man a wicked smile spreading across the man's face allowing Orihime to see the contours of the man's face.

"My Death" stuttered Orihime feeling rather shaken by the comment and the wickedness of his grin. Taking a deep breath to try and shed the shaken feeling the sudden movement caused her to lose the grip she had on the tree and started to fall. Reacting quicker then she thought she would she grabbed for the tree to steady herself but ended up with a large splinter in the palm of hand for all of her trouble. Sucking in a deep breath at the sharp pain in her hand she was determined not to scream at the pain she now felt. She could feel the blood start to well up in the palm of her hand making the tree slippery. Not wanting to get another splinter in her hands she tried to pull her hand to her chest but without the grip she was afforded by using both hands she could not keep standing so she just let go and sank back down to her knees. She pulled her hand into her chest to cradle it, in doing so she was able to gauge how bad her injury was.

"Let me see it" said the cloaked man as he knelt down in front of her spreading his cloak out from in front him and out from under his knees. Unsure of why she extended her hand out to him cautiously. He placed both of his hands under her hand but did not touch her as if he was levitating her hand with his. With her palm now open before her she could see the damage that was done by the splinter. The "splinter" was actually a chunk of wood about a fourth of an inch wide and about two inches long. It went in to her hand at the fleshy part near her pointer finger, it cut across following the groves of her hand, and come to a stop in the fleshy heal of her palm. It tore open a two inch gash through her palm and was extending out of the heal of her hand. He gently pulled the chunk of wood out and leaned over her hand. He said a few inaudible words then softly blew on the wound. Her wound quickly began to knit closed any remaining splinters of wood worked their way out of her hand. Within the span of a deep breath all that remained of her wound was a silver scar on the palm of her hand. Bringing her hand in close to examine it Orihime stuttered out a quiet "thank you" before looking up at him. It took her a moment to realize that he was on his knees before her. The dim light cast shadows onto the hooded man revealing the hills and valleys of the man's physique. Orihime found herself giving him a once over. From the tip of his chin all the down to the lowest part of him that she could see was completely naked. Heat burned in her cheeks, she quickly averted her gaze. "Why are you doing this?" asked Orihime still feeling the burn of her blush in her cheeks.

"That my lady is a long story and maybe one day I'll tell you but right now I can't." Somewhere off in the distance a ray of sunlight burst through the thick cloud cover, illuminating the once darkened landscape with a brilliant golden glow. The man looked over his shoulder cursing in his native tongue he slowly looked back at Orihime. "I'm sorry princess it looks like our time is up. I will see you again soon. I will give you that time in between to give me your "choice" about your future" the man said as he stood. "Till then" He began to shimmer and fade away as if Orihime was watching an episode of Star Trek and captain Kirk was being "beamed up". The last words he said echoed off the mist and clouds then slowly vanished the same as their master. The air began to warm as more sun shined through the break in the clouds. Orihime felt the air become lighter and was beginning to get her ability to move back. The sun shined more and more giving her the ability to stand up and push away from the tree. When she looked around to see if there was anyone who like her had been caught in the energy-sapping storm of clouds she noticed that it was still eerily quiet and still. Suddenly there was off in the distance a quick BOOM-BOOM-BOOM like a minor explosion had gone off causing her to jump. Catching her breath quickly she tried to look in the direction of the boom sound to see if there was anything to see when it happened again only it seemed closer this time. She began to hear the chirping of the birds and the lapping of the water resume. She also heard the screeching sound of metal against metal from the swing set behind her. It grated on her like she was right beside it and it was screeching in her ear. All of the sounds continued to grow louder and louder. That is when she noticed that she was having to squint against the growing light from the sun, it was literally blinding. She closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands to try and shut it all out. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM it happened again and kept on happening. It was all too much for her "STOP" she screamed "STOP, STOP, STOP" When all of a sudden it did, she opened her eyes and although it was bright it wasn't blinding, the sun shone on her through her bedroom curtains. "My bedroom?" said Orihime to herself as she sat upright in bed. "It was all a dream?" A knock at her door startled her out of her semi-awake state. "Coming" she called out as she swung her feet off her bed and began to push away from it with her hands when she felt a tightness in the palm of her hand. She slowly sat back down and balled her hand into a fist before she could bring it up to eye level. Taking a deep breath she opened her fist to reveal a long, jagged, silver scar on the palm of her hand.


	6. Chapter 6

**There's no greater sorrow than regret,**  
><strong>no greater power than love,<strong>  
><strong>no greater gift than forgiveness-Unknown<strong>

In a cold, small room in the lowest level of an old grey stone castle the light of the waning moon cast though three very small windows reflecting off the old grey stone walls that had been worn smooth by the continual use of magic over the past couple of centuries. There was no sound of the typical night creatures that inhabited the area, no outside sound other than an occasional creak or moan of the castle settling under the cold night. The only sound was the slow rhythmic breathing from the room's sole inhabitant. She sat in the corner farthest from the cold wintry breeze that blew though the three tiny windows. She dressed warmly knowing she would be down there for a while but the cold was penetrating the several layers of petticoat and outer velvet of her dress. She was grateful for the quiet and solitude she was afforded during the time her master was on his "trips" but with winter setting in, the already cold room was becoming frozen. If she could see her fingers she knew they would be a sickly blue color. This trip was taking longer than any of her master's previous excursions and she was beginning to wonder if he had run into some kind of difficulty or had gotten lost like he did when he was a child just learning his skills in magic. Unfortunately if he did get lost there was nothing she could do to save him without it causing her death. For it illegal for a servant to perform any kind of magic while not in wartime or teaching. If he had just decided to not come back she would die a slow excruciating death from cold and starvation. The upper levels of the castle were off limits to her unless her master was in residence. Both the other residents and the castle its self knew better than to offer her any comforts while she was alone in the castle. She understood for it was the duty she was given when she was a child of seven years of age to teach, protect, and guide her master. She didn't understand it so clearly when she was first given to her master, a boy three months her senior, a spoiled self-centered child who only thought about what was best for himself not his people or his kingdom. She couldn't stand trying to deal with him; most of the time she just wanted to drown him. If the king, his father, had known what she had done to make him in to the man he is now some very severe punishment would fall on her shoulders, magical and other wise. But she was happy he had grown up to be the kind, caring, and gentle man he is. He cares about the land he lives on as much as the people he governs over. He performs his duty with steadfast resolution and knows what is needed to continue the line of the Gean Cánach. If she were to do it all over again she wouldn't do anything differently. Curling in to ball on the pallet her master had placed down here to afford her a little comfort while he was gone she began to shiver uncontrollably. "Jeea (- God in Gaelic) please don't let me die down here, please let Anni be alright," she prayed hoping God would hear her. Alone with her thoughts and shivering in the stark cold of the room for what seemed days she sat bolt upright on her pallet when she felt the air of the room shift. It seemed to swell and pulsate, it grew lighter and brighter quickly til it was almost blinding. Without warning the air popped liked a water balloon that was filled to full. As quick as the light appeared it was gone leaving behind a man that without the stabilizing presence of his magic crumpled to floor, panting. She quickly got to her feet although they were painful and numb and rushed to his aid. "Anni!" she said as she got to his side turning him over to look at his face. "Cold… you're so cold, why?" he said softly as she ran her hands over his body to check for any wounds, he had never come back so exhausted before. "Winter has come," she said to him relived when she found no wounds or blood. "Winter, how long have I been gone?" he said quickly regaining strength. "About three weeks our time, Anni I was worried, what kept you?" she said. "Aobh, how many times have I told you not to call me that especially here? I need to talk to Athair let's get out of this cold dungeon shall we." He said completely ignoring her questions of concern. "Aye sir but are you sure you should be moving around so quickly?" she asked doubtfully as she put her arm under his shoulders to help him stand. "Just help me up would you?" he answered curtly feeling in no mood to answer her questions. "I need to talk to father, I need answers." "Anni, but what hap….."she began to ask stepping away from him but stopped feeling the air get dangerous. "GO ….NOW!" he said with an edge to his voice. Feeling rather small all of a sudden she nodded in acquiescence and stepped up to him to put her arm under his to sturdy him and quietly helped him walk out of the cold room. 'He never been like this at least not since we were younger, Jeea what happened' she wondered to herself as they made the accent into the upper part of the castle in silence.

* * *

><p>Ichigo found himself saddled with the difficult task of NOT skipping merrily as he walked to Orihime's apartment. He didn't know why he felt like(of all things) skipping like a school girl he figured it had to do with the fact he was at this moment the happiest he had been in a long while. He had been up all night long tossing and turning, telling himself not to screw up and smiling, a lot. Today was to be Orihime's first day back to school after being out for a week and Ichigo was bound and determined to not let her do it alone. Taking the steps to her apartment two at a time he suddenly felt her reiatsu spike then fall. He almost kicked in her door as he ran to her apartment but at the last moment decided against it and just pounded on it harshly. 'What if it was something silly like a mouse or a cockroach she wouldn't appreciate me just bursting in.' After pounding on her door a couple of times with no response he was seriously considering kicking her door down but then he heard her holler "coming" and felt relieved. She quickly answered the door looking disheveled, upon seeing who it was her face lit up. "Ichigo" she said feeling relieved and uber happy at the same time. "Sorry you woke me up, I must look awful" she said trying to push some of her hair behind her ear. "You look beautiful to me, but did you over sleep?" he asked her smiling. "Over sleep? Oh yea school" she said looking over her shoulder at the clock, "Whiskers, we're going to be late, please come in I'll be ready in a sec." She said as she stepped out of the way to let him by and quickly headed off to her room to change.<p>

Just a few steps away from Karakura High School, Orihime suddenly felt a bit insecure knowing she would get a barrage of questions she would not know how answer. She was never good at lying. Grabbing her hand and giving it a quick supportive squeeze Ichigo looked at her as if to say 'it'll be ok, I'll be right here'. Just that gesture made her feel more at ease until he let go of her hand and lingered a little too long over her new mysterious scar. Grabbing her hand again and bringing her now closed fist up to his face to see if what he just felt was right. "Let me see, Orihime" he said his voice laced with concern. With a small sigh she opened her hand to a surprised look from Ichigo. "What happened?" he asked tracing the scar with his fingers, sending shivers up and down Orihime's spine. "Can you ask me later it's a long story, Please?" she asked him with a pleading look in her eyes. Unable to say no to that look, he surrendered. "Fine but don't think I will forget" he said to her as he placed a gentle kiss into her palm sending more shivers up and down her spine. "Thank you, Ichigo" she said hoping against hope that that was exactly what he would do.

Walking into class Orihime was received with hugs and as many questions as she was expecting. It was Tatsuki that came to her rescue when she noticed she was having difficulty coming up with an appropriate lie that would cover the situation. "Hey don't you guys think you should let up you're crowding her. It's difficult enough for her to be back in school when her aunt is so sick." With that everyone filed back to their own desks to make quiet conversation with their neighbors. Orihime silently mouthed 'Thank You' to Tatsuki when she nodded and smiled back at her, Orihime knew she would have to explain everything to her at some point today.

"Oh good Miss Inoue is back in class I hope she has a good reason for missing a week of school when we have so few weeks left."

"Sorry sensei I had to take care of a family matter it won't happen again" said Orihime a blush appearing on her cheeks at being called out in the middle of class. Looking over at Ichigo and at the smile he presented her was all it took to make the world feel right again. It was a quick exchange but it didn't go unnoticed by a few key people in the class. It brought a couple of knowing grins to the faces of their friends and also a couple of grimaces to the people who thought they were being cheated of their chances with the princess of the school. It brought one hateful thought to the one person in the class that had the most to lose from that one smile.

Thankfully the rest of the day had gone mostly uneventfully, Orihime had gotten her opportunity to talk to Tatsuki and explained everything that had happened over the past week. Tatsuki had given her the 'it's about damn time' look when she had told her about Ichigo and herself. The day ended quickly much to the happiness of Orihime who was ready to go home and spend some quality time between the covers of her school books to hopefully catch up on some of her school work. She hoped the rest of the school year could be as uneventful as today was although she doubted it would be. There were always unimaginable things going on around her. The walk home ended up being just her and Ichigo as Tatsuki had practice because of a tournament coming up at the end of the week.

"So tell me about this scar you got over night" said Ichigo out of the blue grabbing her hand and running his fingers over the scar. Inwardly groaning Orihime said "Aw yes, that. Um … Well….. well it is a long and boring story…. you sure you want to hear it?"

"And why would I not want to know how my girlfriend got such a horrible scar?" asked Ichigo with a bit of mirth in his voice at the way she was trying to squirm out of telling him.

"Well I guess I would want to know too. But it is a bit confusing to me so don't be surprised if I don't make any sense."

"What do you mean, Orihime?" asked Ichigo the mirth gone from his voice and replaced with confusion and concern.

"I mean I was asleep when this happened yet I remember it like I was awake" she explained to Ichigo and began to tell him the basics of her dream leaving out the most embarrassing parts. "The weirdest part was I tried to reject the scar this morning and it wouldn't heal"

"So your dreams are hurting you now" said Ichigo with a bit of anger seeping into his voice.

Flinching at the tone of his voice Orihime let go of his hand and stopped dead in her tracks feeling the heat of her tears sting the corners of her eyes. "It's not like I asked for this to happen or really even wanted it to. I'm tired and I don't know why this is happening, I'm just so tired"

'Shit I've screwed up already' thought Ichigo as he mentally berated himself "Orihime I'm not angry at you, I promise, I'm just angry that you got injured to the point where you now have permanent scar and I know that wasn't your fault I just don't like the idea of you getting hurt at all. I think we need to go see Mr. Hat-N-Clogs and see if he can figure anything out for us."

"Ok. I'm sorry Ichigo I didn't mean to make you feel angry I think I've just had a long week and it's wearing on me and making me act strangely" said Orihime willing herself to see the situation from Ichigo's point of view.

'Strangely indeed' thought Ichigo 'she is defiantly not acting like herself' "It's ok let just get you rested and see if we can't figure out what is going on" said Ichigo as he grabbed her hand again and began walking towards her apartment.

* * *

><p>"Athair I have been waiting three days to be able to talk to you what kept you" said Ankoku impatiently as his father entered his study.<p>

"Patience mo mhac is anything ever that important?"

"Well this is certainly important"

"Don't keep me waiting spit it out if it is that bad"

"I couldn't touch her, athair I tried but it was like there was a shield around her"

"Well that is certainly distressing but it is not the end of the world you will just have to try again and not fail this time. Is that all?" said the king with a barely veiled flare of anger.

"There is something else, she has revealed her love for that other guy" said Ankoku said knowing the reaction he would get from his father but not telling him would end with more serious consequences.

"WHAT? You know what is riding on your marriage. Our family is dying if you can't get this done you will be the last of us all" yelled the king his anger very apparent and uncontrolled.

"I know father" was all he could say before his father began his torrent of reasons and lectures on why he needed to be able to get married and get his wife with child as quick as possible for the good of all his people. It was nothing he hadn't heard before and this time it was just making him angry. It was mostly anger at himself but when he left and made his way back to his own rooms he just wanted to scream. Slamming his door closed he made sure no one would bother him.

"Anni…" said a small voice from the room that was where he slept knowing it was Aobh he suddenly wished she didn't share his suite of rooms.

"Just leave me be, Aobh" he said a little more harshly then he meant to.

Walking in to the room seeing his almost defeated look she couldn't help but snap out of the funk she was in since he came back. "Feeling sorry for our self are we?" The evil look he gave her just fortified her resolve. Covering the distance between herself and him in a few quick steps she slapped him across the face. "I've been putting up with your piss poor attitude for near on four days and I'm tired of it. You won't tell me what is going on and I'm exhausted trying to figure it out. So if you won't tell me then put the attitude away. You aren't doing anyone any good by brooding over it. And you are making my life miserable. So either figure out what you can do to fix your problems or let me in on the secret and let me help you" said Aobh watching for his reaction before deciding she shouldn't care and turned to walk away but was caught by the wrist before she could get too far. He quickly pulled her into his arms and softly whispered "I'm sorry I know I've been a bear please forgive me. Life would be so much easier if I could just marry you." Wrapping her arms around him she looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Ah there he is, there is the man I remember."

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><p><strong>AN - **just so ya all know the name Aobh is pronounced "eeh" like the long A sound, weird hu but it means fire and/or great beauty anyway I just love all of the reviews I get and would love, **_LOVE! _** to get more. Thanks to all of you who have read my story and continue to read it. All my love to you all, Sun.


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